



Soldiers' and Sailors' Historical Society 

OF RHODE ISLAND. 



PERSONAL NARRATIVES 

Fourth Series, No. 3. 



"■■—■^'■^*^ i^+^+jm 



SERVICE WITH BATTERY F, FIRST R. I. 
LIGHT ARTILLERY. 



PHILIP S. CHASE, 

Late 2d Lieutenant, Battery F, First R. I. Light Artillery. 




STEPHEN Bo WEEKS 

CLASS OF 1686: PUD. THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY 

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OF THE 

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WE WEEKS CW1ECTTON 

OF 



Gpiro.mi* -c+ty. 



PERSONAL NARRATIVES 



OF EVENTS IN THE 



War of the Rebellion, 



BEING PAPERS READ BEFORE THE 



RHODE ISLAND SOLDIERS AND SAILORS 



HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 



Fourth Series -No. 3. 



PROVIDENCE : 
PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY. 

1889. 



g^e SJprnbi&tnM $)k6b: 
Snow & Farnham, Printers 

37 Custom House Street. 
1889. 



SERVICE 



Battery F, 



FIRST RHODE ISLAND LIGHT ARTILLERY. 



BY 

PHILIP S. CHASE, 
[Late Second Lieutenant Battery F, First Rhode Island Light Artillery/ 



PROVIDENCE: 

FUBLISHED BY THE SpCIETY. 

1889. 



[Edition limited to two hundred and fifty copies.] 






SERVICE 

WITH 

BATTERY F, FIRST IjHODE ISLAND LIGHT AIjTILLEIjY. 



The previous papers which I have had the honor 
to read before this Society brought the record of ser- 
vice with Battery F (Belger's Rhode Island Bat- 
tery), to May 1, 1863, at which time we were 
occupying comfortable quarters at New Berne, North 
Carolina. 

Since the operations at Washington, North Caro- 
lina, in April 1863, when the enemy was forced to 
raise the siesje of that town and retire from its vi- 
cinity, although active offensive manoeuvres were in 
progress in other departments, as General Hooker 
with the Army of the Potomac at Chancellorsville ; 
General Grant with the western armies on the Mis- 

Note. For previous sketches ot Battery F, First Rhode Island Light Ar- 
tillery, sec papers by the same author, No. 3, Second Series, and No. 7, Third 
Series. 



^ 



b SERVICE WITH BATTERY F, 

sissippi at or near Vicksburg, and General Banks in 
the Department of the Gulf; the troops in the De- 
partment of North Carolina were enjoying the quiet 
of camp, with no enemy in their front to annoy them 
and apparently no disposition on their part to find an 
enemy to annoy. 

The casualties of the service had placed me in the 
position of First Sergeant, which I had occupied 
since December, 1862, when Alexander M. Massie 
was severely wounded. The resignation of First 
Lieutenant William A. Arnold, on the 4th of May, 
1863, created a vacancy in the commissioned officers. 
The following is the official notification to the state 
authorities of the vacancy : 



Heajxjoabters Battery F, 1st Regt. R. I. L. Arty. 

New Berne, N. C, May 5, 1863. 
General E. C. Mauran, Adjutant General State of R.J. : 

Sir:— I have the honor to inform you that First Lieutenant Wil- 
liam A. Arnold, of Battery F, 1st Regiment R. I. Light Artillery, 
resigned his commission on the 4th instant. 

I enclose herewith copy of Special Order No. 128, Par. 8, dated 
Headquarters Department of North Carolina, 18th Army Corps, 
New Berne, May i, 1863, accepting the same. 



FIRST RHODE ISLAND LIGHT ARTILLERY. 7 

I respectfully recommend Second Lieutenant Peter C. Smith, of 
Battery F, for First Lieutenant, and First Sergeant Philip S. Chase, 
of said Battery, for Second Lieutenant. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

T. SIMPSOST, 
1st Lieut- 1st Ee'jt. E. I. Lt. Arty. Comd'g Battery F. 

I received the appointment of Second Lieutenant 
under date of May 14, 1863, was assigned to Battery 
F, and was mustered on my commission May 17, 
1863. 

Nothing occurred daring the following few weeks 
to break the monotony of camp life. Mounted drills 
in the early morning at four o'clock, to avoid the 
heat of the day, took place every pleasant morning, 
and no further duty except stable and guard was 
performed until late in the afternoon, when the " man- 
ual of the piece " occupied our attention for an hour. 

Thus the time passed until June 24, 1863, when I 
received my first "Leave of Absence." It was writ- 
ten " for twenty-five days, with permission to pro- 
ceed north," and reached me in the form of Special 
Orders, No. 179, Headquarters Department of North 
Carolina, Eighteenth Army Corps, New Berne, Juno 
24, 1863. The privilege which that order granted 



8 SERVICE WITH BATTERY F, 

was promptly accepted, and learning that a steamer, 
the Ellen 8. Terry, would sail for New York that 
afternoon I proceeded in " light marching order " to 
board her, and after a pleasant voyage arrived in New 
York Saturday, June 27th. Taking passage that 
night on the Fall River boat, reached home in Ports- 
mouth, R. I., about noon, Sunday, after an absence 
of twenty months. 

July 4, 1863, I accepted an invitation to parade 
upon the staff of the First Regiment Militia, Colonel 
William W. Paine, at Providence, and at the close 
of the parade take luncheon at the residence of His 
Excellency, Governor James Y. Smith. I can never 
forget the greeting of His Excellency upon being 
presented to him, and his pleasant words of advice. 
I was but nineteen years old, very boyish in appear- 
ance, and probably needed advice as much as any- 
thing. 

I left Rhode Island to rejoin the Battery Monday 
evening, July 13th, visiting on the way Newark, New 
Jersey, and Poughkeepsie, New York. This was at 
the time of the draft riots in New York city, and of 
excitement in other large northern centres. 



FIRST RHODE ISLAND LIGHT ARTILLERY. y 

Arriving in New York Tuesday morning, July 
14th, I immediately proceeded to Newark, New Jer- 
sey, the attraction being a young lady whom I was 
endeavoring to persuade that I was the best and brav- 
est young man she had ever known. I found the 
aforesaid young lady visiting at the house of a rela- 
tive on Centre Street, and was very kindly invited 
to remain with them as a guest. While there I no- 
ticed some confusion and mysterious movements 
about the house, but as my attention was almost en- 
tirely given to the particular business which called 
me to the place, I thought little of it. Imagine my 
surprise when informed the next day that the Pro- 
vost Marshal of Newark was a fugitive, fleeing from 
the mob, secreted in that house ! The mob had at- 
tacked his residence, broken the windows, obliging 
him and his family to make their escape from the 
place. This gentleman, Mr. Newton Miller, with his 
wife, remained secreted in that house when I left the 

ft 

next day. 

The aforesaid young lady having arranged to visit 
Poughkeepsie, and my contract not having been com- 
pleted, I was forced to go, also, to that city, passing 



10 SERVICE WITH BATTERY P, 

the nights of the 15th .and 16th there. Much excite- 
ment prevailed there on account of the riots, nearly 
every man carrying a musket as he walked the 
streets. Making the acquaintance of a gentleman, 
we made a tour of the city on the night of the 16th. 
Visiting several large restaurants I was astonished 
to see that nearly every one had a musket within 
reach while sitting at the tables, and I remarked that 
at the front we were not so particular about carrying 
fire-arms when not on duty, and it seemed strange 
that in the North, faraway from the hostile armies, it 
was thought necessary to be armed thus at all times. 
I do not think our troops at the front ever realized the 
intense anxiety and excitement which prevailed in 
the large Northern cities during the summer of 1863. 
I left Poughkeepsie early on the morning of the 
17th of July, by steamer, for New York city. I 
was in the uniform of a lieutenant of Light Artil- 
lery, the only clothing I had, and just before the 
steamer's arrival in New York an elderly gentleman 
stepped in front of me and said : 

" Young man, are you going to New York?" 

I replied that as that was the destination of the 



FIRST RHODE ISLAND LIGHT ARTILLERY. 11 

steamer, I rather thought I was. He said, " Let me 
advise you to take off that uniform if you wish to 
go through the city in safety, for the life of an offi- 
cer of the Union army is not worth much in New 
York to-day." 

I answered that as I had no other clothing with me 
I should be obliged to appear as he saw me. He 
made some remark about the "foolishness " of doing 
so, and left me, but just before landing he again tried 
to persuade me to conceal my uniform before leav- 
ing the steamer. 

I landed, however, transacted the little business 
necessary in arranging transportation, and sailed at 
four o'clock in the afternoon on the steamer Dudley 
Buck for New Berne, N. C, where I arrived in the 
early morning of the 21st of July, without incident. 

During my absence the Battery joined another 
of those expeditions into the country which wore 
frequently made from New Berne, leaving its quar- 
ters on the 4th of July. The order for the march 
directed the line to form at 3.30 o'clock on the morn- 
ing of the 4th of July, on the Trent road, in the fol- 
lowing order : Ninth New Jersey Volunteers, Bel- 



12 SERVICE WITH BATTERY F, 

ger's Rhode Island Battery, Twenty-third Massachu- 
setts Volunteers, Eighty-first New York Volunteers 
and Seventeenth Massachusetts Volunteers. On the 
5th, when about six miles beyond Trenton, N. C., 
the main body halted, and a small force, with which 
was one section of Battery F, was sent forward, and 
the next day, July 6th, met and engaged the enemy 
at "Free Bridge." The engagement was of the na- 
ture of a skirmish, and no loss, except that of am- 
munition, was sustained by the Battery. After the 
skirmish the whole command returned to New Berne, 
arriving the next day, July 7th, having covered a 
distance of about sixty miles. 

A few days after my return from leave of absence 
we were again under marching orders, and on the 
24th of July the Battery embarked at New Berne on 
the steamer Escort. The next morning, Saturday, 
July 25th, we steamed down the river and up the 
sounds, past Eoanoke Island, entering the Chowan 
River, a small stream navigable but a short distance, 
which flows from the northwest and empties into Al- 
bemarle Sound near its western limits. We arrived 
at Winton, N. C, Sunday, July 26th, and immedi- 



FIRST RHODE ISLAND LIGHT ARTILLERY. 13 

ately disembarked. One section, which I accompa- 
nied, was moved forward by hand about five miles 
towards a bridge over a small stream called " Potte- 
casy Creek," accompanied by an infantry support. 
Just before reaching the bridge an earthwork was dis- 
covered thrown across the road, and a slight skirmish 
took place ; but one of our guns was brought into 
action and only two rounds fired, the infantry 
promptly driving the enemy, who must have been in 
very small numbers, from the work. We were to 
remain at the bridge with the infantry while the 
Eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry and First New York 
Mounted Rifles made a raid inland to Weldon, N. C. 
From a letter written at that time I find my opinion 
to have been that the cavalry raid was not a success ; 
they were behind time in reaching Murfreesboro, 
and only reached Jackson, N. C, when they met the 
enemy in force and were obliged to fall back. 

I suppose the object of the raid was to destroy 
railroads and telegraph lines at Weldon, and thus 
break one of the lines of communication between 
Richmond and the South. 

On the return of the cavalry, July 30th, our two 

2 



14 SERVICE WITH BATTERY F, 

guns were hauled back to Winton, joining the re- 
mainder of the Battery, and were loaded on steamer 
Curlew, sailing, as soon as all were embarked, for 
New Berne, where we arrived on the 1st of August, 
late in the afternoon, having met with no casualties. 

I remember that while we were guarding the 
bridge at Pottecasy Creek foraging parties went out 
and considerable property was brought in, including 
a barrel of the famous " apple-jack." During the four 
days and nights we spent at the bridge it required 
considerable caution and some prompt action to pre- 
vent the "apple-jack" accomplishing what there ap- 
peared to be no other enemy to do, viz. : capturing 
the whole command, or rather placing them hors de 
combat. 

The following is the official report of the part 
taken by Battery F in .the expedition as made to the 
Assistant Adjutant-General of the Brigade : 

Headquarters Battery F, 1st Reg't. R. I. Lt. Arty. 
Xew Berne, N. C, August 1, 1863. 
Capt. W. H. Abell, A. A. G. Heckman's Brigade, 184ft Army 
Corps : 
Captain : — I have the honor to submit the following report of 
the service of Battery F, 1st Regt. R. I. Lt. Artillery, on the recent 
expedition in this Department. 



FIEST EHODE ISLAND LIGHT ARTILLERY. 15 

The Battery embarked on board the steamer Escort July 24, 1863, 
and sailed from New Berne, N. C, July 25, 1863. Arrived at Win- 
ton, N. C, July 26, 1863. Disembarked and moved forward with 
one section towards the bridge over Potteeasy Creek. Engaged 
the enemy at the rifle-pits near the bridge with one piece, firing 
two (2) rounds of ammunition. Returning, left Winton, N. C, on 
board steamer Cicrlew, July 30, 1863, arriving at New Berne, N. C, 
August 1, 1863. No casualties. 

I am, Captain, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

THOS. SIMPSON, 
1st Lieut. 1st Eegt. B.I. Lt. Arty. Comd'g Battery F. 

During the months of August and September, 
1863, nothing occurred to break the monotony of 
daily drills, excepting an occasional inspection. 

Saturday, October 10th, orders were received for 
one section of the Battery to report to Col. S. H. 
Mix, Third New York Cavalry, with seven days ra- 
tions, the section to move by water transportation by 
nine o'clock same night. First Lieut. Peter C. 
Smith, with the right section, was detailed and ac- 
companied the cavalry to Elizabeth City. They 
returned on the 16th of October without incident. 

On the 19th of October Major S. V. Harbert, Pay- 
master United States Army, visited our quarters for 
the purpose of paying the troops for the months 
July and August. !He addressed a letter to Captain 



16 SERVICE AVITH BATTERY F, 

Belger as follows : " Upon comparison of the mus- 
ter rolls of your company with General Orders No. 
126, I find it deficient in the requisite number of 
privates (122). As the instructions from the Sec- 
retary of War to Major-General Foster particularly 
refer to that point, I do not see how I can pay the 
extra officers, which I would be pleased to do if I 
could." 

This letter caused me considerable anxiety, being 
one of the extra officers referred to, and it was not 
until December that the payment was finally author- 
ized. A letter, dated the 20th of October, which 
was addressed by Captain Belger to " Headquarters 
Forces and Defences of New Berne," explaining the 
situation, was passed on from headquarters to head- 
quarters until it reached the Adjutant-General's 
Office, Washington, D. C , November 19th, just one 
month after it was written. On the 27th of Novem- 
ber it received the endorsement of the Secretary of 
War authorizing the payment, and started on its re- 
turn trip, reaching the Battery on the third of De- 
cember. 

The endorsement placed upon the letter by Major 



FIRST RHODE ISLAND LIGHT ARTILLERY. 17 

General Butler, commanding Department of Vir- 
ginia and North Carolina, I take the liberty of quot- 
ing in full, as showing the reputation of the Battery 
at Department Headquarters. 

"Headquarters Dept. of Va. and No. Ca. 

Fortress Monroe, Va., Novbr. 15, '63. 
Respectfully forwarded to the Adj. Gen'l. with the request that 
the Pay Dep't. he authorized to pay the extra officers and non-com- 
missioned officers allowed by Gen'l. Orders 126, series '62. This 
Battery is one of the very best in this Dep't., and it would in my 
opinion be prejudicial to the interests of the service to have the 
Battery reduced to four guns. The number of men required (14) 
can no doubt be easily recruited if authority be granted for a re- 
cruiting party to be sent from this Battery to R. Island. 

BENJ. F. BUTLER, Maj. Gen'l Comdy." 

The question was satisfactorily settled, the extra 
officers and non-commissioned officers paid, and the 
Battery remained a six-gun battery. 

October 30, 1863, we bade farewell to North Caro- 
lina and our comfortable quarters, which had been 
extremely pleasant and which we had occupied since 
March, 1862. Special Orders, No. 62, Headquar- 
ters Army and District of North Carolina, October 
23, 1863, had been received, directing a portion of 
the troops stationed in North Carolina to rendezvous 



18 SERVICE WITH BATTERY F, 

at Newport News, Va. Battery F was included in 
the number, and on the above date all our property 
and stores were placed on board the steamers Ella 
May, Pilot Boy and Colonel Rucher. At midnight 
lines were cast off and we steamed away. 

Just two years service had at this time been given 
to our country, and we certainly had no cause to 
complain. While we had not seen as much hard 
fighting as troops in some departments wchad expe- 
riences which did not fall to the lot of light batter- 
ies generally. We had been a part of the Burnside 
Coast Division, a semi-naval force ; were knocked 
about on shipboard during the storm, which caused 
such disaster to the expedition off Hatteras and 
such anxiety to friends at home ; had twice landed 
our entire battery from vessels by throwing the 
horses overboard and towing them ashore by small 
boats, and rafting the guns and other property to the 
land ; had made numerous raids both by land and 
water in the Department of North Carolina ; had 
served as cavalry for several weeks after the capture 
of New Berne, and had made a reputation in the 
Department of which we were justly proud. It was 



FIRST RHODE ISLAND LIGHT ARTILLERY. 19 

with feelings of regret and sorrow that we left these 
scenes of our exploits and sailed for the unknown 
duties which were before us. 

The route by which we were to reach Newport 
News lay overland through the Dismal Swamp. The 
force consisted of the Third New York Cavalry and 
Belger's Rhode Island and Rigg's New York Bat- 
teries. The three transports upon which Battery F 
made the first part of the journey came to anchor oif 
Roanoke Island about six o'clock on the evening of 
October 31st, and the men were mustered for pay, 
it being the regular day for that ceremony. At 
about eleven o'clock in the evening of the same day 
the fleet " weighed anchors " and proceeded to Eliza- 
beth City, N. C, arriving at about four o'clock in 
the morning of November 1st. This is a small 
town situated near the mouth of the Pasquotank 
River, a small stream flowing from the north and 
emptying into Albemarle Sound on its northern 
shore. The place had been frequently visited by the 
Union forces but no permanent occupation taken 
place. We disembarked our men and horses and re- 
mained until the morning of the 2d of November, 



20 SERVICE WITH BATTERY F, 

when we again embarked and steamed up the river 
about three miles to Camden, N. C. At this place 
we left the transports and remained in bivouac until 
sunrise November 3d, my twentieth birthday, when 
we took the road for South Mills, about fourteen 
miles distant, at which point we were to strike the 
Dismal Swamp Canal. A squadron of the Third 
New York Cavalry, with two mountain howitzers, 
led the advance, followed by a section of Belger's 
Battery (F, First Rhode Island), commanded by 
Lieutenant Chase, (Philip S). The advance was 
somewhat annoyed by guerrillas, and at one point 
enjoyed the privilege of capturing^ an earthwork 
which was not occupied, but the disposition of the 
troops and prompt action, considering the uncer- 
tainty of the situation, I think, gave additional 
evidence of the efficiency of the Third New York 
Cavalry. Emerging from the woods into a clearing 
upon the opposite side of which stretched the earth- 
work, some three hundred yards away, the advance 
company promptly dismounted and deployed as skir- 
mishers ; the two howitzers were brought to the 
front and threw a few shell into the works ; the skir- 



FIRST RHODE ISLAND LIGHT ARTILLERY. 21 

rnishers advanced rapidly to the parapet to find — a 
deserted work with no signs of having been recently 
occupied. This affair with some guerrilla skirmish- 
ing and a single shell from one of my guns fired up 
a cross-road where a few persons were seen, merely 
to remind them that war was in the land, comprised 
all the fighting which took place on that march. 

The command reached South Mills at about eleven 
o'clock, a. m., and taking the tow-path of the canal, 
pushed on towards Deep Creek, Va., where we ar- 
rived at about eleven o'clock in the evening, having 
traveled about forty-one miles since morning. The 
day was beautiful, the tow-path in excellent condi- 
tion for traveling, almost equal to a macadamized 
road, and the march proved to be a pleasant experi- 
ence. The canal was nearly dry and several sailing 
vessels were noticed " high and dry," apparently un- 
serviceable. 

We bivouacked for the night at Deep Creek, near 
the camps of the Union forces, and at nine o'clock 
in the morning of the 4th of November, took the 
road for Portsmouth, Va., arriving about eleven 
o'clock. It was a real November day, cold and blus- 



22 SERVICE WITH BATTERY F, 

tering, and I think it safe to say that the men passed 
very few more uncomfortable ones during their ser- 
vice. We were marched to a wharf, where we re- 
mained until nearly sunset, waiting for a steamer to 
take us to Fortress Monroe. At last the steamer 
Conqueror arrived alongside the wharf, and no time 
was lost in embarking. The Conqueror reached 
Fortress Monroe at about eleven o'clock same even- 
ing, and after some parleying we were ordered to re- 
main on board until morning. Disembarking on the 
morning of the 5th November, we marched to New- 
port News, Va., arriving at about three o'clock in 
the afternoon, and went into camp. Here we found 
many of our comrades from North Carolina, en- 
camped and organized as Heckman's Brigade, after- 
ward's Heckman's Division, commanded by Brigadier- 
General C. A. Heckman, of New Jersey. Six 
regiments of infantry, one of cavalry and four light 
batteries comprised the Division at this time. 

On our arrival at Newport News Captain Belger 
was assigned Chief of Artillery, Heckman's Brigade, 
and I was appointed Acting Adjutant. The com- 
mand consisted of Batteries F, First Rhode Island 



FIRST RHODE ISLAND LIGHT ARTILLERY. 23 

Light Artillery, H and M, Third New York Artil- 
lery and the Sixteenth New York Battery. 

Thanksgiving day, November 26, 1863, was duly 
observed by the troops at Newport News. Religious 
services were held in the morning, and horse racing, 
mule racing, greased pig and greased pole consti- 
tuted the afternoon programme. 

December 16, 1863, 1 received" Leave of Absence 
for ten days," and left Fortress Monroe Saturday, 
December 19th, for Portsmouth, R. I., arriving the 
following Tuesday. I remained at home until Sun- 
day, December 27th, leaving for Fortress Monroe on 
that evening and arrived the following Tuesday, 
the day my " leave " expired. Notwithstanding my 
prompt return I was reported on all returns for De- 
cember 31, 1863, and for nine days thereafter as 
"Absent without leave." The reason for the same is 
explained as follows : 

December 23, 1863, in compliance with Special 
Order, No. 209, Headquarters Heckman's Brigade, 
Newport News, Va., December 22, 1863, the battery 
left Newport News by steamer Conqueror send landed 
at Point Lookout, Maryland, next morning. I 



24 SERVICE WITH BATTERY F, 

was entirely ignorant of the change of station until 
I reported at Newport News on my return , Decem- 
ber 29th. Col. S. H. Mix, Third New York Cavalry, 
was in command at Newport News. He caused my 
return from " leave " to be properly recorded, and 
issued S. O., No. 228, directing me to report to the 
battery at Point Lookout. But how to get there 
was the question. I visited Fortress Monroe daily, 
looking for transportation, until January 3, 1864, 
when I was ordered to Baltimore to endeavor to pro- 
cure passage from that point. Accordingly, the 
morning of the 4th of January found me at the Quar- 
termaster's Department in Baltimore, where I was 
informed that it might be several days before a steamer 
would leave for Point Lookout. I proceeded to 
make the best of the situation, and but for financial 
reasons, would not have cared very much how long 
the delay continued. The only duty required of 
me in Baltimore was to report at the Quartermaster's 
Department each morning. Upon reporting Friday 
morning, January 8, 1864, I was informed that the 
steamer W. Whilden would leave that day for the 
desired point, and was furnished transportation. I 



FIRST RHODE ISLAND LIGHT ARTILLERY. 25 

immediately transferred my quarters from the Maltby 
House to the said steamer, and at seven o'clock same 
evening was landed at Point Lookout, where I found 
the battery, having been absent twenty-one days 
on a " Leave of Absence " for ten days. 

By way of parenthesis it might be said that the 
subject of finance troubled me considerably while at 
Baltimore. A bill for board at the Maltby House 
was steadily increasing, even while I slept, and you 
who have enjoyed the experiences of a " Leave of 
Absence," know that the return usually takes place 
with depleted funds. How to " raise the wind " and 
get away from Baltimore honorably was a serious 
question. But " fortune favors the brave." The 
last day but one of my stay there I was made ex- 
tremely happy by. meeting at the hotel a naval officer 
— Captain Foster — whom I had known quite inti- 
mately in North Carolina. I immediately struck 
him, for friendship's sake, for a loan, which he freely 
supplied, and my troubles in that line were over for 
the time being. 

At Point Lookout, which is situated at the mouth 
of the Potomac Biver, on the Maryland side, was 

3 



26 SERVICE WITH BATTERY F, 

located a rebel prisoners' camp, and a rumor became 
prevalent that an attempt on the part of the prison- 
ers would be made to escape, hence the guard was 
increased. The force at the Point at this time com- 
prised the Second, Fifth and Twelfth New Hamp- 
shire Infantry, two Companies of the Fourth United 
States Cavalry and Battery F, First Khode Island 
Light Artillery. Before the war this was quite a 
noted resort for pleasure-seekers and invalids. The 
large boarding-house, which had undoubtedly been 
the scene of many pleasant gatherings from north 
and south, was now occupied by the United States 
government, and the representatives from the south, 
about ten thousand strong, were carefully cared for 
in an enclosed camp. Every precaution was taken 
that none of the large number should get lost or 
stray from the sight of their northern visitors. 

As we recall the treatment shown those men by 
our government, and contrast the same with the ac- 
counts written by our boys of experiences at Ander- 
sonville and other southern prisons, it brings to mind 
again that in the exchange of prisoners the confede- 
rates were important gainers, as we returned to them 



FIRST RHODE ISLAND LIGHT ARTILLERY. 27 

sound, well fed, able bodied, for half starved, sick 
and broken down men, totally unfit for service. 

Our duties at Point Lookout were rather irksome, 
principally " waiting for something to turn up," al- 
though we did occasionally have a mounted drill. 
We remained at this station until the 23d of Janu- 
ary, over four weeks, when we were relieved b} - the 
Second Wisconsin Battery (Germans). The Wis- 
consin battery arrived by steamer and disembarked 
during the night of the 19th. On the morning of 
the 20th they moved to our left and went into park. 
We felt very sure that we should make a move as 
soon after this arrival as possible, and were very 
glad to receive, on the 21st of January, orders di- 
recting us to proceed to Yorktown, Va. Accordingly, 
Saturday, January 23d, we embarked the battery on 
steamers John Tucker and Convoy, sailing at about 
one o'clock p. m., and arriving at Yorktown at about 
eight o'clock in the evening. We disembarked at 
once and occupied barracks vacated by the Wiscon- 
sin battery which relieved us at Point Lookout. 
The barracks were located inside " Fort Yorktown," 
upon ground already memorable for scenes enacted 



28 SERVICE WITH BATTERY F, 

during the War for Independence and also the War 
of the Rebellion. The situation was delightful, upon 
a high level, the view quite extended, and I recall 
with pleasure many hours spent upon the parapet of 
the old fort indulging in day dreams of the future 
and trying to form some idea of the closing acts of 
the Revolution, which took place near the spot. 

On the 27th of January Captain Belger, who had 
remained at Newport News as Chief of Artillery, 
arrived at Yorktown and relieved First Lieutenant 
Thomas Simpson of the command of the battery. 

February 5th the battery received marching or- 
ders, with six days' rations, and at three o'clock in 
the afternoon left our quarters and marched to Wil- 
liamsburg, arriving at about six and one-half o'clock, 
where we bivouacked for the night. The next morn- 
ing we joined a force consisting of six regiments of 
infantry, two light batteries and parts of five regi- 
ments of cavalry, the whole commanded by Briga- 
dier-General Isaac J. Wistar. It was believed that 
a very small force protected Richmond at this time, 
and that a sudden dash from the south side might be 
successful in entering the city and doing much dam- 



FIRST RHODE ISLAND LIGHT ARTILLERY. 29 

age, besides liberating the Union prisoners at Libby, 
etc. Accordingly, at about half-past ten o'clock, 
Saturday morning, February 6, 1864, the command 
marched through Williamsburg and " On to Eich- 
mond." Perhaps the success of the expedition was a 
general order read to each regiment and battery as 
they were about to start, and as it is desirable to re- 
cord some successful feature of the movement, a copy 
of said order is here given : 

Headquarters Wistar's Division, 

Williamsburg, Va., February 6, 1864. 

General Orders, > 
No. 4. I 

Soldiers : — You are about to strike a great and glorious blow — 
a blow which has been profoundly considered and carefully pre- 
pared, but which must fall suddenly, silently, irresistibly. 

Our country now asks all your courage, all your endurance. All 
our brothers-in-arms will envy you the opportunity. I ask you for 
a few days to encounter, with a soldier's readiness, hard fare, 
forced marches, wintry bivouacs, and, perhaps, calm and steady 
fighting. 

Respond as you have always done, and I promise you, with God's 
blessing, a result which will bring glory to our flag, and honor to 
all who serve under its folds. 

ISAAC J. WISTAR, 

Brig. Oen'l. Comd'g. 
Official : James E. Fleming, Captain and A. D. C. 



30 SERVICE WITH BATTERY F, 

It was understood among the troops that the cav- 
alry of the command had received special instruc- 
tions to be followed upon arriving at Eichmond, 
assigning to each company or squadron some par- 
ticular duty to perform, such as the capture of Jeff 
Davis ; liberate prisoners at Libby ; burn certain 
public buildings, etc. 

As previously stated, the column passed through 
Williamsburg at about half-past ten o'clock, Saturday 
morning, February 6th, and continued the march 
until three o'clock on the morning of the 7th, when 
it had reached " New Kent Court House." The in- 
fantry and artillery were here halted and a rest until 
six o'clock, a. m., taken. The night of the 6th was 
the darkest, it seemed to me, I had ever experi- 
enced. It was impossible to see objects a few feet 
away, and in order to keep in the road it was neces- 
sary to send a man with a lantern in advance. As 
the rear of the column was passing through " Kich- 
ardson's Mills " a rocket suddenly shot into the air 
and a bright light was seen at a distance through an 
opening in the woods, which were probably signals 
to the enemy of our approach, as upon the arrival 



FIRST RHODE ISLAND LIGHT ARTILLERY. 31 

of the cavalry at Bottom bridge, Chickahomiuy 
River, at about daybreak on the 7th (they did not 
halt with the rest of the command at New Kent 
Court House), it was found to be impassable, and 
attempts to cross at the fords were met by a force of 
the enemy with artillery. 

At six o'clock, a. m., of the 7th, the infantry and ar- 
tillery, after three hours' rest, again moved on 
towards Bottom Bridge, and about noon met the 
cavalry returning. 

The rear guard on the return march, of which 
Battery F formed a part, was attacked by a small 
force of cavalry, and I was ordered to take one piece 
and give them our compliments, which was done by 
firing four shells into their midst ; they appeared 
satisfied as we were not troubled again. The bat- 
tery reached its quarters at Yorktown at about four 
o'clock in the afternoon of the 9th of February, and 
the expedition ended minus the " glorious results " 
predicted in the general order above mentioned. 

On the return of the command measures were at 
once taken to ascertain the cause of the defeat of the 
plans, or rather how the information reached the 



32 SERVICE WITH BATTERY F, 

enemy in time to be prepared to defend the crossings 
at the Chickahominy River. As the result of the 
investigation private Thomas Abrahams, Company 
G, One Hundred and Thirty-ninth New York Vol- 
unteers, was tried by court-martial and sentenced to 
be " shot to death with musketry." The proceed- 
ings, findings and sentence of the court were ap- 
proved, and on the 7th day of March, 1864, the 
sentence was carried into effect in the presence of all 
the troops stationed at Yorktown. 

The execution took place on the plain south of 
Fort Yorktown. The troops were formed in line, 
the infantry on the two sides of a parallelogram, 
Battery F at one end, and the prisoner sitting on his 
coffin at the other. 

When all were in position the adjutant of each 
regiment and junior officer of the battery were re- 
quired to read to the troops the order condemning 
the prisoner to death. The ground upon which the 
battery was placed sloped gently to the rear, and I 
congratulated myself that as junior second lieuten- 
ant my position would place me under the brow of 
the hill, or rising ground, where I could not see the 



FIRST RHODE ISLAND LIGHT ARTILLERY. 33 

condemned man. At the proper time I rode to the 
front and read the order to the battery, and, much 
to my own surprise, voluntarily remained there and 
■witnessed the execution. I never could account for 
the sudden change from a feeling of dread, and a 
shrinking from the sight, to a desire to see the whole 
procedure, which came over me. 

In executions of this character the firing detail 
consists of twelve men ; their guns are taken from 
them and loaded, eleven with ball and one with blank 
cartridge ; they are then returned in such manner 
that no one knows who has the gun loaded with the 
blank ; the detail is then divided into two parties, 
one of eight men, w r ho constitute the main firing 
party, and the other four a reserve, to be used in 
case the first fire is not effective. In this particular 
case the first fire was effective, killing the man in- 
stantly. The body remained as it fell, and the whole 
command marched in review, as it were, before the 
dead man. As each company arrived opposite the 
body the command was given " eyes right," that 
each man might receive a lasting impression of the 
penalty of treason. This was the first and only 



34 SERVICE WITH BATTERY F, 

execution I witnessed, although others took place at 
Yorktown. I have forgotten just how this man be- 
came responsible for the failure of the expedition, 
and have not been able to find any record of the 
charges and specifications of which he was found 
guilty. 

In February, 1864, General Kilpatrick with his 
cavalry made the famous raid around Richmond. 
On the first day of March a force consisting of the 
First New York Mounted Rifles, Eleventh Pennsyl- 
vania Cavalry, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Twenty- 
second United States Colored Troops, and Battery 
F, First Rhode Island Light Artillery, the whole 
commanded by Colonel West, left Williamsburg to 
go up the peninsula and meet General Kilpatrick. 
Battery F was in quarters at Yorktown when the 
marching orders were received, March 1st, which or- 
dered four days cooked rations. Preparations were 
quickly made, the rations cooked and issued, and at 
six o'clock same evening we started for Williams- 
burg to join in the expedition, arriving at about nine 
and a half o'clock. The night was dark and stormy. 
About eleven o'clock the order was given " forward," 



FIRST RHODE ISLAND LIGHT ARTILLERY. 35 

and amid snow, rain and hail, the temperature freez- 
ing cold, the command marched out from Williams- 
burg for New Kent Court House. It was a night to 
test the power of endurance of both men and horses ; 
at about one o'clock on the morning of the second 
the wind changed to the northwest and blew very 
cold ; our clothing being completely wet, froze, thus 
adding to the discomforts of the march. At seven 
o'clock on the morning of the second, when we halted 
a half hour for breakfast, my overcoat would have 
stood alone, frozen, had I taken it off. We marched 
until two o'clock in the afternoon of the second, 
when we arrived at New Kent Court House. After 
caring for the horses, our men secured about an hour 
of rest. At about four o'clock same afternoon we 
again " hitched up " and remained in position nearly 
all of that night, the cavalry scouting the country. 
On the morning of the 3d of March one section — 
platoon under present tactics — of the battery, un- 
der Lieutenant Simpson, joined with a regiment of 
cavalry and marched some distance beyond " White 
House"; one section in command of Lieutenant 
Smith was ordered to report to Colonel Duncan, 



36 SERVICE WITH BATTERY F, 

who, with a part of the infantry, followed the main 
body of the cavalry up the peninsula, traveling, 
however, but about two miles, when they halted and 
waited for development*. I was ordered to report 
to Colonel West for staff duty, and remained with 
him during the rest of the day. 

General Kilpatrick's cavalry were discovered by 
the cavalry of our division during the night of the 
2d, and on the morning of the 3d the two commands 
came together. The march down the peninsula com- 
menced immediately. Colonel Spear's Eleventh 
Pennsylvania Cavalry remained at New Kent Court 
House for the night ; the infantry and Battery F 
came through to Barnsville and bivouacked, and Gen- 
eral Kilpatrick's troops passed the night at " Burnt 
Ordinary." On the morning of the 4th, at about 
seven o'clock, we resumed the homeward march, if 
soldiers can be said to have a home, arriving at our 
quarters in Yorktown at about eight o'clock in the 
evening, having halted for a couple of hours at Wil- 
liamsburg on the way. 

General Kilpatrick's command, at the time we met, 
carried with them evidences of the hard service they 



FIRST RHODE ISLAND LIGHT ARTILLERY. 37 

had performed during the five days previous. Many 
of the men were without hats or caps, wearing hand- 
kerchiefs tied over their heads, and the appearance 
of both men and horses gave proof of the hardships 
encountered on that great raid. Their route of 
march could have been traced by the horses, dead 
from hard riding and exhaustion, lying by the road- 
side. The account of their experiences by some 
participant would, I am sure, make an interesting 
paper to be read before this Society. 

March 8th one section of the battery under com- 
mand of Lieutenant Smith was ordered to report to 
Lieutenant Hunt, commanding Battery L, Fourth 
United States Artillery, for a raid. They crossed 
the river to Gloucester Point at about six and a half 
o'clock same evening and reported as directed. 

Lieutenant Smith reported on his return, about 
ten o'clock at night, March 12th, that the object of 
the expedition was to learn something of Colonel 
Dahlgren, one of General Kilpatrick's regimental 
commanders, who was missing, and supposed to have 
been killed and his body mutilated. The report was 
found to be correct, and in retaliation for the treat- 
i 



38 SERVICE WITH BATTERY F, 

ment of the dead officer a village was destroyed by- 
fire and the command returned. 

March 22d two sections of the battery received 
marching orders ; a driving snow storm was prevail- 
ing at the time and the prospect for an enjoyable trip 
was not pleasant ; but before the time, six o'clock in 
the evening, for the start arrived the orders were 
countermanded and this further attempt to capture 
Richmond, if such it was, was abandoned. 

April 13th we received orders to report to Colonel 
Duncan to witness the execution of a private of the 
Second New Hampshire Volunteers, a substitute and 
bounty jumper. The enforcement of Army Regu- 
lations was in this case very prompt, as will be seen 
by the following extract from the general order : 
" Private John Eagan, Company A, Second New 
Hampshire Volunteers, deserted his regiment on the 
tenth instant, was arrested on the eleventh, tried, 
convicted and sentenced by coui't-rnartial on the 
twelfth, will be shot to death with musketry on the 
thirteenth between the hours of five and six p. m." 
After arriving on the field he was reprieved for forty- 
eight hours, at the end of which time he, and another 



FIRST RHODE ISLAND LIGHT ARTILLERY. 39 

from the same regiment, were executed. Such sum- 
mary punishment was deemed necessary to stop the 
wholesale desertions among the substitutes recently 
arrived for that regiment. 

During the month of April the Tenth Corps ar- 
rived at Gloucester Point, opposite Yorktown, and 
other troops rendezvoused at that place and York- 
town, preparatory to the opening of the campaign 
of 1864. Saturday, April 23d, Battery F was as- 
signed to the Second Division, Eighteenth Corps, 
and from that time until the end of the month in- 
spections and reviews were in order. I remember 
that on the 28th of April the battery was ordered 
out to fire a salute of fifteen guns in honor of the 
arrival of Governor Yates, of Illinois, and on the 
30th of April a part of the Eighteenth Corps was 
reviewed by General B. F. Butler, the First Divis- 
ion, one brigade of the Second Division and eight 
light batteries appearing in the line. The artillery 
marched in " column of batteries," a formation not 
often witnessed on review. 

By the close of April all surplus stores and com- 
pany property had been turned into the quartermas- 



40 SERVICE WITH BATTERY F, 

ter's department for storage. The officers had 
reduced their baggage to the lowest limit. For my- 
self, everything I possessed, excepting the clothing 
I wore and one change, was sent home. We knew 
we were preparing to take part in a campaign that 
would test our courage, efficiency and endurance 
beyond anything yet experienced, but, of course, 
did not know the nature or the locality of the opera- 
tions before us. A recital of the experiences of that 
campaign must be left for another occasion. 

The health of the command on the 30th of April, 
1864, was remarkably good, two men only being ab- 
sent sick. The casualties during the year ending 
with that date had been as follows : One commis- 
sioned officer — First Lieutenant William A. Ar- 
nold — resigned; four enlisted men discharged for 
promotion, viz. : First Sergeant Philip S. Chase, 
promoted to Second Lieutenant Battery F, First 
Rhode Island Light Artillery ; Private Pardon S. 
Payne, enlisted as Hospital Steward, United States 
Army ; Private William A. Tefft, promoted to Sec- 
ond Lieutenant Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy 
Artillery (Colored), and Private Henry Graham, 



FIRST RHODE ISLAND LIGHT ARTILLERY. 41 

promoted to Second Lieutenant Fourteenth Rhode 
Island Heavy Artillery (Colored) ; six enlisted men 
discharged for disability, viz. : Solomon Loid, Ed- 
ward Cruden, John Osborne, John Butterworth, 
John Fitzgibbons and Henry Whittemore, one of 
whom, John Butterworth, the result of wounds re- 
ceived in action ; and one enlisted man deserted, 
viz. : Charles L. Anderson. 

The gains during the same time were one commis- 
sioned officer, Second Lieutenant Chase, as above, 
six recruits and one enlisted man, James Wilson, 
from desertion. 

From December, 1863, to March, 1864, inclusive, 
twenty-nine enlisted men re-enlisted as veteran vol- 
unteers, and received the veteran furlough of thirty 
days. 

The strength of the battery April 30, 1864, as ap- 
pears upon the monthly return of that date, was five 
commissioned officers and one hundred and twenty- 
nine enlisted men, with one hundred and ten horses ; 
requiring twenty-one recruits to fill the ranks to the 
maximum number. 



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